Monday, April 14, 2014

Roasted Vegetable Broth

Start with a bunch of fresh veggies

Roast until lightly browned

Voila! 8 cups of broth to freeze!

I know that broth is something easy to buy in a store- there are many options, and it's cheap- but there's just something about making it from scratch that can be irresistible. I make turkey and chicken broth often, and this roasted vegetable broth is another good recipe to have on hand. You could use it in soup, to cook rice, gravy, and more.

With having to buy the vegetables at the store, this isn't necessarily cheaper than buying broth- it cost me about $6.50 to make 8 cups (4 cans worth) of broth. It is more flavorful and healthy though, so you just have to decide what you're wanting. Sometimes I go for what's quickest & cheapest, sometimes I go for most healthy & flavorful- although I try to have it all! This would definitely be cheap to make if you were able to grow some of your own veggies.

The basic premise is that you roast a bunch of vegetables in a large pan (I lined mine with nonstick foil, partly because my roasting pan's finish is chipping), cook them in a large pot with water and other seasonings, then strain. It's not very difficult, but it does take some time- about 3 hours start to finish. It's yummy though, and worth making at least once! :)

1. Preheat oven to 450º. Meanwhile, begin rinsing and chopping vegetables- onions, carrots, tomatoes, bell pepper, and turnips. Place in a large roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil, and stir, making sure all the vegetables are lightly coated.

2. Roast vegetables, stirring every 15 minutes, until the vegetables and browned and the onions start to darken. This takes me about 1 hour 15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in a large stock pot (minimum 8 quart), add remaining ingredients (celery, spices, parsley, water, and salt). I start this about 30 minutes before the vegetables are done, so that the water can begin heating, which saves time. Add roasted vegetables to the pot, bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered until reduced by half. Mine took 1 hour 15 minutes.

4. Pour the broth through a colander, catching the broth in a large bowl or pot. (Scoop out some of the vegetables beforehand to help it not splash quite so much.) Using a spoon or spatula, press on the vegetables in the strainer to extract as much liquid from them as you can. Add salt and/or pepper to taste, and enjoy! Extra broth can be frozen for up to a couple months.

Why I love it? This makes an incredibly flavorful, natural vegetable broth. Like all homemade foods, it's nice knowing exactly what's in it, and it's especially helpful being able to control the sodium content.